We live in a new era of data availability, understanding of human physiology, and computing power with lives being remotely monitored due to sensor availability and the expansion of electronic medical records (EMRs). We can use these new advances to change how we approach health using simulation modeling much like weather modeling in 1960s and nuclear weapons simulations in 1980s. If we can use science and physiology to understand the impact of health interventions prior to implementation, we can calculate the economic value of an intervention, to build a business case prior to an implementation, and identify the right behaviors for change.
Currently, systems used to study human physiology model singular physiological processes in the body without taking into account the impact of rich interconnections and feedbacks between the many processes in the whole body. These feedbacks and interconnections between physiological processes combined with our improved understanding of the systems are critical for understanding the observed health state of an individual. Interventions modeled without considering whole body physiology are therefore insufficient to simulate health interventions at the level of an individual and cannot connect overall health outcomes to interventions.
In view of the foregoing, a need exists for an improved system and method for physiological health simulation in an effort to overcome the aforementioned obstacles and deficiencies of conventional systems.